Improvement in the mode of lubricating fire-arms



s. COLT.

Revolver.

Patented Mareh 3, 1857.

#hun n;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAML. COLT, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

Specifcationforming part of Letters Patent No. 16,716, dated March 3, 1857.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that 1, SAMUEL COLT,of lHartford,in the State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Method of Preventing Ballsi'rom Foulingthe Barrels of Rifles and other Fire-Arms, and facilitating the passage of the balls through the barrels in the discharge; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in

. Figure 1 represents the lubricatcrappliedto a repeating ritle; Fig. 2, alongitudinal section of the lubricator. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal'section of a repeating ritle with the lubricator applied to the rammer; Fig. 4, a section of a rammer for muzzle-loading arms with the lubricator applied thereto; Fig. 5, an elevation of a repeating riiie, representing the lubricator as Operated by the rammer; Fig. 6, a cross-section taken at the line .e :v of Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 a separate view of the stem of the lubricator.

It is wellknown that the barrels of fire-arms,

y particularly those that are ritled, become fouled by the passage of the leaden balls through them in the act of tiring, and that such fouling is of serious injury, and although many plains, have been devised with the view to remedy' this evil, I am not aware that any ,of them, prior to my invention, have been .practically successful.

The nature of my invention consists in applying lubricating matter in the barrels of firearms after the ball has been inserted, whether such lubricating matter be applied to the outer surface of the ball or the inner surface ofthe barrel, by means of which the fouling of the barrel by the ball is eectually prevented and the passage of the'ball in the discharge greatly facilitated, while at the same time the lubrieating matter will be prevented from reaching the charge of powder.

The mode of applicatioof my improved method, which I have practiced with success, and which I prefer as applied to many-chambered rotating-breech lire-arms, is represented in Figs. l and 2 of the accompanying drawings, in which A is asmall metal tube attached to the under part of the barrel and by the side of the ra-mlner generally employed in thatclass of arms manufactured by me. The axis of the said tube is in line with the bore of one of the chambers of the rotary breech-B when another of the said chambers is in line with the'barrel. A cylindrical stem,b, is fitted to slide centrally in the said tube, and passes through a central hole in each end thereof. The outer end of this stem projects to aconvcnientdistance beyond the outer end ofthe tube, and is there provided with a head or button for the convenience of pushing` it toward the breech. It is surrounded by a helical spring, c', within the tube, by the tension of which it (the stem) is drawn up to the position represented in the drawings, but which admits of forcing the inner end down into the chamber which for the time being is in line. is provided with suitable projecting guides to keep the stem in a truc central position. The.

tube is charged with oil or other suitable liquid lubricating matter through a hole provided with a plug, i. The surfacel of the stem bis recessed at c so far within the inner end that when it is drawn out by the tension of the spring the end beyond the recess closes the aperture at the inner or lower end'of-the tube lto prevent the escape of the lubricating matter; but when the stem is forced down or toward the breech the passage of the recess byk the aperture of the tube permits the lubricating matter to run out and hang by capillary attraction on the inner or lower end of the stem, which is then carried into one of the chambers of the breech to deposit such lubricating matter thus discharged from the tube onto the outer surface of the ball in the chamber, where it runs and spreads over the entire surface of the ball so exposed. No more lubricating matter than is required can escape, because it is only during the passage of the recess that the escape can take place. That portion of the surface of the ball which is toward the muzzle being thus coated with oil or other equivalent lubricating matter, as the ball is forced through the barrel by the discharge, the lubricated surface of the ball runs in contact with the bore, and thus efectually prevents the abrasion of the ball, and the consequent fouling, and greatly reduces the friction of the ball as it passes through the barrel, while at the The inside of the tube which contains the lubricating matter.

same time no portion of the lubricating mater can reach the chargeof powder back of the all.

Instead of the mode of application above specified, Ihave contemplated the application" of my invention to repeating fire-arms having the many-chambered rotating breech by forming the lubricating-tube A in the rammer usually employed for driving or ranrming the balls down in the chambers as they are successively brought in line with the rammer by the rotation of the breech. In this mode of application the rammeris made tubular, with the head concave to tit thc surface of the ball D. The bottom of this cavity is pierced with a small hole communicating with the tubular part A,

Within the tubular part there is a stem, b, surrounded and actedupon by a helical spring, e, Which forces it downward, that its lower end, which is in the form of avalve, may close the aperture in the tube to prevent t-he escape of the lubricating matter. The extreme end of the stem, at d, projects Within the concave recess of the rammer, so that after the ball has been inserted in the chamber and brought under the rammer,in the act of forcing down the ball by the rammer, the projecting part d of the stem cornes in contact with the end of the ball, by which it is forced back to open the valve and permit the escape of the lubricating matter, which then spreads over the surface of the ball. The moment the rammer is lifted up the tension ofthe spring forces the stem down to close the aperture and prevent the further escape of lubricating matter.

The rammel' can be operated in the usual or any other convenient manner.

lhe same mode of application will answer' for'the rammers of muzzle-loading fire-arms, as represented in Fig. 4, where like parts are indicated by the same letters as in Fig. 3.

I have also contemplated the application of my said invention to repeating firearms with a many-chambered `rotating breech, with the lubricator placed by the side of the rammer, but so connected with the rammer that by the act'of ramming the Vball in one chamber the ball in the chamber next to it will be lubricated. This mode of application is represented in Figs. 5, 6, and Iof the accompanying drawin gs,in which A represents the 1ubricator,con structed and located as in Figs.1 and 2, above described; G, the usual rammer; B,the manychambered rotating breech, and b the stem, with its recess c; but the end of the stem which projects loutside of the lubricatingtube,'in stead of being straight, to be operated indeis bent around, and the bent part extends down parallel with the part Within the tube, and the extreme outer end is slotted, as at' s, to receive a pin, d', which slides therein,and which ris-attached to the rammer C, and working in a slot, g, cut through the surrounding case of the rammer. B y this arrangement, as the rammer is forced down to ram aball in one chamber the pin d at first slides in the slot s of the y l stem until it reaches the lowerend of the said slots, and then the continued movement of the rammer carries down the stem to lubricate the ball in the chamber corresponding therewith; and as the rammer is drawn out the pin d acts against the upper end of the slot s to restore the stem to its original position. this mode of application no spring is required for restoring the stem to the required position in the lubricating-tube.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that many other changes may be made in the mode of application ot' my said invention-such, for instance, as substituting a small pump or syringe for ejecting the lubricating substance, and that the lubricating substance, instead of being applied to the ball, may be applied to the inner surface of the barrel after the ball has been lrammed home, as the object of my invention is to lubricate the surfaces which lact on each other as the ball is forced out of the barrel in the act of firing.

And although I have 'only described the ap'-v plication of my said invention to the rammers ot' muzzle-loading fire-arms, and to repeating breech, it Will be obvious that itis equally ap.- plicable to other repeating arms and single strument which discharges the lubricating matter in various Ways, although I prefer the modes above described. l

or, as the equivalent, to the bore, in close proxfl -imity with the ball, after the ball has been im serted, by means ofan instrument having .a

reservoir of liquid lubricating matter, incom bination with a valve or other equivalent means for the purpose set forth. Y

SAML. COLT.

l Witnesses:

M. JosLIN,

pendently of the rammer, as in Figs. l and 2,

J. 15.601512AJ lire-arms with the many chambered rotatingA breech -loading arms; and it will also be o bV vious that motion may be imparted to the in-A What I claim as my invention, and desire:

for discharging the required quantity of lubri-j eating matter, substantially as described, and; 

